The invention relates to an apparatus for gathering postal items and to a method for gathering postal items.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,393 an apparatus and a method for gathering postal items are known, which are specifically intended for processing banknotes. In a starting position, a circulatable endless belt of the apparatus carrying flaps is stationary. The belt is stopped twice with each revolution of the belt, when the belt is provided with two flaps. A beam path of a photo-cell comprising a photo-diode and a photo-transistor is broken when a banknote has been inserted to a sufficient extent in between the belt and one of the flaps carried by the belt. When this beam path is broken, a signal is sent to a drive motor for starting the belt. The drive motor then rotates the belt until the flap reaches the position previously occupied by the other flap. Subsequently, the procedure is repeated and the next banknote is inserted, and so on.
A drawback of this apparatus is that repeatedly stopping and restarting of the endless belt causes wear of the drive system, entails a high energy consumption, causes important noise emissions and reduces the capacity of the apparatus, in particular if the belt would be dimensioned more heavily for gripping items larger than banknotes, such as many postal items.